Joseph l



(No Model.)

J. L. WELLS.

` BREAST 1101111.

110.358,711. L Patented Mar. 1,1887.

WITNEYEEEE INVNTEJFI `f, I i ,g

N. FETsRs. vgumllilogmplwr. washington. n. c.

STATES turn arnNr OFFICE.

JOSEPH L. VELLS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE YVESTONdi VELLS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, N. J.

BREASTFORNI.

SPECIFICATION forming pari: of Letters Patent No. 358,711, dated March1, 1887.

Application filed November S, 1886. Serial No. 218,317. (No model.)

.To all whom, it may concern:

Be itknown that I, JOSEPH LWELLs, acitizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inBreast-Pads or Dress-Forms; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference beinghad to 1o the accompanying drawing, which forms part of thisspecication, in which the figure is a perspective of a breast-pad ordress-form embodying my improvements.

My invention has reference to -wire breastpads or dress-forms, and hasfor its object to provide a cover therefor which shall serve as a finishfor the article, protecting the person and garments of the weareragainst contact with naked wire, such cover not, however, affecting theexpansibility of the pads or forms under pressure or impact. Heretoforethese pads or forms when made of braided wire have been finished aroundthe edge by having stitched thereto a band of inelastic textilematerial. Owing to the inelasticity of this band it restrained thecompressibility of the pad, so that when pressure was imposed upon thelatter-such, for example, as would result from a tight-litting waist orcoatmthe 3o pad would yield to only a slight degree and the edge wouldbear rigidly against the surface on which it touched-to wit, the personof the wearer; and as the band was secured to only the lower or inneredge of the pad or form, and the rest of the latter was left unprovidedwith a special cover, it followed that the garment contacting with thewires of such pad would become soiled. To avoid these difficulties andto permit greater freedom of 4o movement in the pad or form thanheretofore, I provide the pads or forms with a covering of textilematerial which is knitted or braided or otherwise made of open-workcharacter.

My invention accordingly consists in the combination, with a breast-pador dress-for1n made of braided materiahof a braided, knitted, oropen-work elastic cover, substantially as hereinafter fully described.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, A

est to the person ofthe wearer. Vhen press-4 ure is imposedupon thecenter, the riln or edge will expand or increase in diameter, if notrestrained by external influences, and it will also tend tocurl upoutwardly if sufficient pressure be produced on the center.

E is a covering of textile inaterial-such as cotton, linen, silk, orwool-ewhich is knitted, braided, or otherwise made to have an openworkcharacter, and is elastic, stretching readily when the rim or edge ofthe pad or formexpands and contracting as the latter assumes its normalposition or shapeb This cover is preferably made in the first instancein the form of a tube or cylinder, similar in shape to that of which thebraided-wire body is composed, and is applied to said body by slippingit on over the latter, turning one of its ends into the cavity or recessof the latter, and then securing both ends together at the center bystitching or other suitable form of fastening. The coveringis thus bothon the inner and outer or concave and convex sides of the pad or form,and may be said to form a lining as well as a covering. It thus protectsthe person and garments of the wearer from contact with naked wire,rendering the article more comfortable and cleanly, yet does notinterfere with the easy yielding of the pad or form under compression`or produce the rigidity or discomfort incident to pads having edgesbound with inelastic fabric.

My invention is not necessarily confined to braided-wire pads or forms,as the described cover may be applied to pads or forms of otherconstruct-ion or different material; but I prefer to use braided wire,as there is no other construction or material with which I am acquaintedwhich will produce a pad or form having the desirable properties of onemade of braided wire.

What I claim as my invention is- In testimony that I claim the foregoingI The combination, with the body of a breasthave hereunto set my handthis 28th day of 1o pad or dress-form composed of braided mate- Gotober,1886. rial, of a covering applied thereto, substan- 5 stantially asdescribed, said covering eonsist- JOSEPH L' VELLS ing of aknitted,braided, or open-Work elastic "Witnesses: textile material,substantially as shown and WILL H. POWELL, set forth.

R. DALE SPARHAWK.

